A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

And the Bashing Continues...

Rabbi Avraham Edelstein

Rabbi Avraham Edelstein seems like a nice enough fellow. He
is the founder and director of Ner LeElef, an organization that trains
people for outreach. That is a good thing and something I support.

I am however dismayed by an article he has written in the
Times of Israel. Therein he does what a lot of Charedi rabbinic leaders have
done. He bashes Rabbi Dov Lipman about
his proposed solution to the economic crisis facing the Charedi world . The funny thing is that he actually agrees
with Rabbi Lipman’s assessment of the problem.

I have to wonder how the people he trains for outreach and
the very targets of that outreach see his approach to Rabbi Lipman.

First he indirectly challenges his credentials by referring to his ‘oft-claimed
status as a Haredi rabbi’. This implies that Rabbi Edelstein does not
personally accept him that way. He further
challenges R’ Lipman to tell us what the Charedi community stands for and why
he wishes to belong to it – as though his every action argues against that.

Rabbi Edelstein also asserts that Rabbi Lipman is late to
the game vis-à-vis putting Charedim to
work with better jobs through better education. Charedim are already in the
workforce, he says. And they have
received training in all fields. And that even now further training programs
are in the planning stages ready to be launched.

The irony of all this is that (as I pointed out) Rabbi Edelstein obviously
agrees that there’s a problem. What he doesn’t agree with is a Rabbi Lipman’s
solution. Why? The following excerpt says it all:

Placing the Haredi-community under siege, pre-determining
how many Haredim are going to be shoved into this box or that box – all of this
will halt the momentum of progress – and lead to exactly the opposite of the
intended effect. This is the work of fools – to attempt to create by
legislative fiat a transition that needs, in fact to take one or two decades.
Rabbi Lipman is certainly not the first rookie politician who dreams of leaving
his legacy through some grand social engineering. He will add his failure to
the pile of forgotten attempts.

The deeper problem with these self-styled saviors of the
Haredim, is that they fail to recognize the real and important values that this
community is providing the broader world…

How sad that he takes the good intentions of a sincere
individual whose only goal is to help his own community and bashes him for it.
Even if he disagrees, why does he question his integrity, compare him to fools
and deride him with appellations like ‘rookie politician’ and ‘self-styled
savior’ implying that his entire goal is self aggrandizement via building a legacy
through ‘some grand social engineering’?

The very real state of Charedim entering the work force was made in passing by Rabbi Edelstein:

The females have
ironically been far more qualified than their male counterparts…

Ironically? What he doesn’t seem to realize (or admit) is
that there is a very good reason for that. Charedi women are better educated
than men in Limudei Chol (secular subjects). They have a core secular
curriculum in high school. Men have none whatsoever. Of course women are more
qualified. There is nothing ironic about it.

He is critical of Rabbi Lipman because in his ‘oft-claimed
status as a Haredi rabbi’ he should be talking about Charedi positives.
But… not to worry, Rabbi Edelstein will set us straight. Charedim ‘get it right’
by being disinterested in materialism - unlike that the rest of the world that
glorifies it.

Really? How black and white of him. Only Charedim have these
values?! No other community does? And are Charedim truly – disinterested? I
know a lot of Charedim who are not exactly disinterested in material things. As
I do non Charedim who disavow materialism. That Charedim have less material
things than others is just the reality of their financial situation and not necessarily a
choice.

What about his Hashkafa of placing the highest value on
Torah study? As I have said countless times - I have no issues with a Hashkafa
that places the highest value on Torah study.
I actually agree with that. Talmud Torah K’Neged Kulom.

What I do not agree with is a policy that excludes Limudei
Chol in its entirety. It is one thing to love Torah study to such an extent
that they ‘approach their Torah studies with an unprecedented intensity.’ But
that does not require eliminating Limudei Chol in its entirety as most American
Charedim who have studied Limudei Chol in their high schools can tell you.

Eliminating all secular studies is taking Talmud Torah
K’Neged Kulom to an absurd extreme. And yet that is standard Charedi policy in
Israel. That is what Rabbi Lipman is trying to change. The efforts to ‘put
people to work’ currently underway that Rabbi Edelstein describes is simply too
little too late.

But… for the sake of argument, let us grant that Rabbi
Edelstien has a point. That the job situation is indeed improving more than
anyone knows. Let us even say that forcing a core curriculum upon Charedi schools
is a bad idea since it would be counter-productive – as he asserts.

Does that mean he has to bash Rabbi Lipman for suggesting
it? ...accusing him of doing this for his self aggrandizement? …and then resorting to name calling and degrading remarks?

As I said he also accuses Rabbi Lipman of failing to speak about
the real and important values that the Charedi community is providing the broader world. Says Rabbi Edelstein: “Here is
a community where values are not only being studied – they are being practiced.” (My my… what an idyllic community where only good values are
preached and practiced.)

Yes, there are
many good and decent people in the Charedi world who do have the values
illustrated by the examples of Rabbi Edelstein. Probably most of the
mainstream Charedi world is like that. The problem is that as wonderful as these
examples of lived values are – there are other values that seem to be ignored. Just
to pick one – the lack of expressing Hakaras HaTov to the government for all
the financial aid it has gotten till now - while instead Charedi politicians curse
them for daring to take some of it away.

Rabbi Edelstein accuses Rabbi Lipman of making this a
confrontational issue. I do not see that at all. I believe the opposite is
true. The Charedi rabbinic leaders and their
surrogates in the Knesset and Charedi media are the ones being confrontational…
using some of the most disgusting characterizations about those with his views.

And for what?! Because he wants to inject a couple of hours a
day of Limudei Chol into the classroom?! For this he is called a
self-styled savior? … failing to recognize their values? …whose ideas will end
up in the dustbin of history?!

Rabbi Lipman is a hero – if for no other reason than he
stood up to the ‘good Midos’ of some extremist Charedim in Bet Shemesh who
called a little girl a whore. Where were Rabbi Edelman’s Charedim then? How
many joined him in standing up to those thugs? I don’t recall seeing any…

It would behoove Rabbi Edelstein to re-think his poorly
thought out essay and realize that his characterization of Rabbi Lipman is as wrong
as was Rav Aharon Feldman’s initial
reaction to Rabbi Lipman as a Shana U’Porush. If Rav Feldman can admit a
mistake, then surely Rabbi Edelstein can.

Follow by Email

Followers

Recent Comments

About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.